forsyth



No. 617,327. Pfented 1an. m, |899. `w. n. FoRsYTH & E. T. BELL.

BOILEB TUBE CLEANER.

i. mmm:

UNrrnD Srnrns PATENT a Prion.

VILBER D. FORSYTII AND'ENOS T. BELL, OF IITTSBURG,.PENNSYLVANIA l ASSIGNORS TO TI'IE UNION BOILER TUBE CLEANER COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

BOILER-TUBE CLEAN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 617,327, cated January 1o, i899.

Application filed December 4,1897. Serial No. 660,752. (No model.) i

To @ZZ whom it may concern.:

Be it known that we, XVILBER D. FORSYTH' and Enos T. BELL, citizens of the United States, and residents of Pittsburg, in .the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Boiler-Tube Cleaners; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, su chas will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, refer- 9 isa side elevation of a complete head in a different position, and Fig. 10 is a detail view of the cone-shaped guide.

This invention is designed to provide a boiler-tube-cleanin g machine or implement'of improved character.

lVhile the art of cleaning straight tubes in an efficient manner has heretofore been made known by us in patents which have been granted to us and while various machines for the purpose have been devised and patented by others for thesame purpose, but littlc, if any, 'attention has been paid to the necessity for a machine or implement designed for and capable of being used in a practical and efficient mannerin curved tubes such as 'are found in some types of boilers. It is therefore our especial object to provide amachine which will meet the requirements and jdemand for a practical device adapted to work of this nature.

With this object in view our invention consists in the novel construction and combina# tion of parts, all as hereinafter described, and

lpointed out in the appended claims.

In carrying out our invention we form the cleaning-head in two or more'adjacent sections united byu universal joint or joints,

i whereby said head is enabled to adapt itself to the curvature of and to curved water-tube.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

pass through a vthe letters A, A', and A" designate, respectively, the several sections of a cleaner-head constructed in accordance with our invention. In the particular form of head which We have illustrated there are three of these sections,and each section is provided with two sets of cutting devices, this being the form which our experiments have led us to prefer; but we do not limit ourselves to the use of any particular number of sections or to the use of any particular number of sets of cutting devices on the sections, since it may be found advisable or desirable under certain conditions, depending upon the particular nature of the work, to vary the construction in these particulars, and while We prefer to use cleaninghead composed of two or more ad? jacent sections united by a universal joint or joints.

In the particular form of the cleaner shown each of the three sections A A' A" consists of a central shaft or carrier B, three circular plates or disks C C' O, rigidly secured or keyed on said shaft or carrier at short inte r' vals from'each other, anda number of cuttercarrying arms D, eccentrically pivoted to the plates or disks O C and capable each of a limited outward movementin a plane parallel to that of the plates or disks, said arms having loosely journaled to their free end portions cutters E, which consist of small peripherally toothed or serrated disks or wheels. The disks or plates C C', the cutter-carrying arms, and the cutters are of the same general,-

character and construction as the corresponding devices described and claimed in our Pat,- ent N o. 526,999, dated October 2, 189.4, while the general relative arrangement of the disks and cutters is similar to that described and claimed in our Patent No. 568,247, dated Sep- 7o the particular construction and character of ,site plate.

tember 22, 1806, and reference may be had to these patents for a more complete description thereof.

The universal joints which connect the sections consist each of end plates F F and a connecting joint-piece G.' The plates F F are screwed upon the project-ing threaded end portions a of the shafts or carriers B of the respectiveadjacent sections. The plates F F are of circular form and are of the same or of approximately the same'diameters as the adjacent plates C C. -Each plate has on its face which is toward the joint two oppositely-projecting lugs f, and these lugs are so disposed on the plates that those of one plate alternate with those of the other. The jointplate G is also of general circular form; but its front and rear faces are each beveled outwardly in opposite directions from a central diametric line g to form oppositely-inclined surfaces g', and the central lines g of the twoV faces are at right angles to each other. Said plate has four equidistant peripheralbear-- in g-holes, two of which are pivotally engaged by studs h on the lugs f of the plate F, while the other two are engaged by4 similar pins or studs carried by the lugs of the. plate F'. It will be readily seen that this double pivotal connection, together with the inclined or beveled faces of the joint piece or plate, permits a universal movement of 4one head-section with respect to another, such movement being limited, however, by the impingement of the lugs f of one For this purpose the ends of the said lugs are of convex form, as shown at f The joint which connects the rearmost section to the driving-shaft is of` the same construction as those which connect the adjacent sections of the head.

It will be seen that the construction of the universal-joint connections between the sections, as'above described, is such as'to brace the sections against yindependent rotary or endwise movement, and ,this is essential whatever may be the construction of the particular joint connection which is employed.A We prefer that the length of the sections shall not exceed one and one-half times their diameters.

VtTe prefer that the plates C C' C" shall be of gradu ally-increasin g diameters from the front to the rir end of the head and that the cutters shall be spirally disposed about the head in the same manner and for the same purpose as in our said Patent No. 568,247. The increase in diameter may be from one plate to another, or it may be from one section to another-that is to say, the plates of each sectionmay be of gradually-increasin g diameters, or all the plates in any one section may be of the same diameter,but of less diameter than those of the following section. At .the forward end of the foremost section we usually employ a cone-shaped guide H, and this guide may or may not have cutter-wheels journaled therein.

plate with the face of the cppo# The device is designed to be driven by any suitable mechanism, such as a flexible shaft.`

In another pending application we have described and claimed mechanism which is especially adapted for operating a cleaner of this, character; but such mechanism forms no part of the present invention.

The cleaner is operated under rapid rota; tion (usually from eighteen hundredto two thousand Vrevolutions per minute) and is eitherforced through the tube to be cleaned or is allowed to feed therethrough byits own gravity and naturalte'ndency in that direction. During the operation the tube should be flushed with a small stream of water for the purpose of removing the disintegrated scale and also to prevent the device from heating.

It will be readily seen that owing to the screw connectionsof the plates F F with the sections and the key connections between the disks CAC C" and the shafts or carriers B the several parts of the cleaner can be readily taken apart for repairs, dsc.

le are aware that heretofore devices have been proposed for use in cleaning boilel` tubes and fines wherein two or more cleaner-scctions loosely linked together are to be pulled through the iiue or tube by means of a rope or the like attached to one of such sections.

We are not aware, however, that prior to our invention a power-operated rotary cleaner head composed of two 'or more universallyjointed short sections braced against independent rotary or longitudinal movement has ever been known or used. v

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to'secure by Letters'Patent, is` l. In a tube-cleaner designed for use in curved tubes and adapted to be pushed through the same under rotation, a'cleanerhead composed of two or more adjacent short vsections connected by a universal jointor joints braced to prevent independent rotary or longitudinal movement of the sections,and a flexible driving-shaft connected to one of said sections, substantially as specified.

2. In a tube-cleaner designed for use in curved tubes and adapted to be pushed through the same under rotation, a cleanerhead composed'of two or more adjacent short sections connected by a universal joint or joints braced to prevent independent rotary or longitudinal movement of the sections, each of said sections having a plurality of rolling toothed cutters, said cutters being ar- `ranged in a progressively-graduated series,

substantially as specified.

3.. In a tube-cleaner designed for use in curved tubes, and adapted tobe pushed through the same under rotation, a cleanerhead composedof two or more adjacent short sections connected by a universal joint or joints braced to prevent4 independent rotary or longitudinal movement of the sections, each of said sections having a plurality of ICO IIO

rolling toothed cutters, said cutters being arranged in progressively-graduated series, andi also spirally Withrrelation to the axis -of said head, substantially as specified.

" 5 4. In a boiler-tube cleaner designed for use in curved tubes, a cleaner-head constructed intwo or more adjacent short sections, a uni- .Versal joint or joints connecting the said sections, and braced to prevent independent rotary or longitudinal movement of the seci' tions, a cone-shaped guidesecnredtothe' foremost of the said sections, and a Aflexible driving-shaft connected :to the rearmost section, substantially as specified. Y 5. In a tube-cleaner designed for use in curved tubes, a cleaner-head formed in ad jacent sections, and universal joints connecting the said sections, said joints consisting each of two plates secured to, the adjacent 2o ends of adjacent sections and having project ing alternating lugs on their opposing faces, and a connecting joint-piece pivotally'connected to the lugs of both the said plates, and

having double beveled or inclined faces,sub statially as specified. 2 5

6. In a tube-cleaner designed for use in\ curved tubes, a cleaner-head formed in adjacent sections and connected bya universal joint or joints, each of saidv joints consisting of .plates removably secured to the adjacent 3o sections to be connected and provided with projecting lugs on their opposing faces, said lugs being equidistantly and alternately dispose'dg'an'd a conncctingpiece pivoted to the lugs 'of both plates and having its faces op- 35 positely beveled or inclined from central lines, the' central lines of .the two faces being at right angles to each other, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof-we aix our signa- 4o ,tures in' presence of two witnesses." 

